Actuator



Aug. 23,1938.

Original l AccruAToR` Y l Filed March 5, -1930 2 Shgets-Sheet l f ms: N LX" Aug. 23, 1938.

ACTUATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 3, 1930 v 'V NVEMTOR. MaI/,w P/ 'BY' ATTORNEYS.

`Patented Aug'. 23, 1938 ACTU ATOR William It. Ray, San Francisco, Calif., assignor, by menne assignments, to General Controls Co., a corporation of California Reiiled for` abandoned application Serial No.'

432,631, March 3, 1930. This application November 11,A 1935, Serial No. 49,271 l 12 Claims.

This is a relile of my abandoned applicationl Serial No. 432,631 filed March 3, 1930.

l supplied under gravity pressure to the burner and wherein 1t is desired to contra the new of on to the burner from a distant point in accordance with certain conditions at the distant point.

In the control devices previously utilized it has been the practice to open .a valve by means of a train of gears operated by a suitable source of motive power. When it was desired to make a change in the valve so that it would lift against a different oil pressure it was necessary to change the gear train. This necessitated, usually, the installation of an entire new valve operating mechanism since the previous mechanism could not be 'accommodated to the change., This was expensive and detracted from the facility of ad justing the oil burner to meet conditions. Further, actuation of the gear .trainv was accomplished by an electric motor of the stall-.type which are relatively expensive and increased further the `cost of installation.

It is the general object of my invention to devise a simple structure for use as an actuator, the operation 'of which may be initiated andl controlled from a distant point.

Another object of the invention is to devise# foregoing will be set forth at length in the following description Where 'I shall outline rin full 'that form of actuator o! my invention, which I have selected for lillustration lin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present A specification. In said drawings I have shown one form of valve actuator embodying my invention,

but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself .to such form since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may be embodied in a plul A rality of forms.A

In the drawings, to which reference has been made above, Figure' 1 is aside elevational view,

possesses other advantageous (Cl. (S0-52) partly in section, illustrating a structure embodying certain features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section illustrating the actuating mechanism extended to lift a valve.

Figure 3 is across sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l but showing another type of actuatable valve for controlling ow through a pipe line as compared to that of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Briefly characterized my invention may be ystated as comprising `a self contained structure movable between two extreme positions and normally biased toward one of these positions so that it automatically returns to a rst position. Actuation is accomplished by hydraulic means capable of overcoming the bias placed upon the structure. The device is disclosed in connection with control of a-fuel valve to an oil burner. However, this is only one use and the actuator' is capable of various applications.

With oil burners, oil is supplied to the burner under pressure. It is usual to control the burner so that a predetermined temperature may be maintained at some point. Since it is highly desirable that the burner be shut off almost immediately upon-the attaining of this temperature it is expedient that the lvalve controlling the flow of oil to the burner be capable of being shutoff positively. against the pressure of oil in the line to the burner. I also prefer that the initiation of actuation of the valve to allow low of oil to theburner beof such a nature that it may be controlled from a distant point. This manner of voperationll have found is accomplished by suitably biasing the valve to closed position so that it is positively and automatically forced into engagement with its seat upon failure of the force holding it open.

The form of valve shown in conjunction with the actuator comprises a valve body 6 having a seat I upon which a soft metallic valve 8 is adapted to seat to control flow. 'I'he valve .body 6 may be formed to provide a straight through valve as is shown in'Figure 3, or it may include flow controlmechanism such as is shown in Figure 1 wherein the quantity of iiuid passing outI of the valve is regulated by the mechanism indicated generally at Il.

' Movement of the valve I is accomplished through a rod I2 which extends down through valve body' l to join the valve through an inter- '55 mediate member I3 which is joined to the valve 8 to permit a certain amount of movement between them to facilitate seating of the valve.

'The rod I2 is attached to other mechanisms to be presently described which are capable of moving the valve.

In the particular embodiment illustratedin the drawings I have employed an electric motor 2I as the motor means to actuate the movable mechal the chamber 35.

nism which, in this disclosure, lifts the valve.

Other motor means may be employed as a steam, Construction of the devicev is facilitated by providing a hollow casing 22 upon or air driven turbine.

engaging the hollow shaft. The shaft 21 carries.

a gear 2S which forms with another gear 3i a gear pump 32 capable of supplying fluid to suitable means for actuating the valve.

A convenient construction for actuatingthe valve is provided by positioning a piston 30 within the casing 22 so that it is fixed in position and carries the gear pump. A plate 33 secured to the piston retains the gears 29 and 3 I .in position and serves to provide la pumping chamber within whl h the gears operate. Rotation of the shaft 21 causes the pump to draw fluid from the fluid reservoir provided by casing 22 and bellows 52. The fluid is forced up through channel 34 and valve 42 in the piston to a chamber 35 formed by cylinder 36 which is positioned within the casing and slidably mounted with respect Ito the piston. The cylinder carries a yoke 31 which is in turn secured to the rod I2 so that when uid is supplied to the chamber 35 the valve is lifted.v

I have found it desirable to provide for a rapid release of the fluid from'the chamber 35l so that the valve 8 may close very quickly. A convenient manner of accomplishing this is provided by drilling the piston to form a cavity 4I within which a shuttle valve-A2 is movable .to interrupt flow through the channels 24. The cavity 4I is drilled to communicate. with'the gear pump so that the fluid-discharged is effective to move the shuttle valve 42 to a position wherein a communication with the c amber 36 is established through the channels 3 Thus, asois shown in Figure 2, the shuttle valve has been raised from the position shown in Figure 1 so that a passageway 4 3 in the shuttle valve establishes free communication with Upon interruption of the supply of current to the motor for any reason as by attaining the desired temperature at the point of controlfspring 44 provided upon the shuttle valve piston to the casing 22.

'I'he valve 2 is automatically returned to closed position upon failure of the power to the motor by a spring II positioned between the cylinder and the casing. This spring is of sumcient strength to force the cylinder down. Thus the spring'can close the valve l against the pressure thereon. f

I have found that a suitable iiuid for use with the valve is a lubricating oil such as castor o il between the cylinder and the piston .and out of the cylinder about the shaft so. that the motor turns over fairly slowly and does n'ot stall. To have the motor turn over slowly is an advantage since rotation of the motor is effective to draw in a certain amount of air which cools it down, while a stalled motor develops a greater amount of heat. Electric motors commonly include a fari as part Aof the rotor. This fan is effective to draw in air through an opening in the motor casing and force it out through anotherv opening after the air hasI passed through the motor.

Since it is desirable to employ a particular fluid in the pump it is expedient that admixing of the fluid and the -oil supplied to the burner does not take place. sealingof the casing 22 from the valve, providing a suitable collapsible metal bellows 52 about the I have overcome this difculty by 4.

rod i2, the bellows being loined to the member I3 and to a plate'53 positioned between the valve body 6 and the casing 22. The actuator is thus a separate unit. l

Upon-release of the several studs 23 provided betweenthe valve body 4and the casing 22, the whole may be disassembled for inspection, repairs or-for changing the gears 29 and 3| or spring 5I if it is desired to operate under vdifferent conditions.

I claim: Y

l. An actuator comprising cooperating cylinder and piston members forming a chamber, said cylinder being movable on said pistonya fluidv pump on said piston, a motor for operating said pump to supply fluid to the chamber whereby said cylinder is moved relative to said piston in 'one direction, means for automatically moving said cylinder in an opposite directionto said one direction upon failure of the fluidsupply to'- the chamber, and means operable uponl movement 0f said cylinder in said opposite direction to release fluid from between the cylinder and piston.

2. An. actuator comprising a cylinder, a piston fitting in said cylinder, said cylinder beingA movable on said piston, a fluid pump carried by the f I piston, a motor for operatingy the pump, and

means carried by the piston for releasing pressurel in the cylinder upon failureof power to theA motor.. 3. An actuator comprising a casing, a motor carried .en the casing, a cooperating movable cylinder and a fixed piston within the casing, the

casing forming a reservoir, a tlui'd pump on said piston operable by themotcr to withdraw fluid from the reservoir to move the cylinder on the piston, and a valve means carried by the piston and movable between a position in .which it re. .y

4. An actuator movable between two positions comprising a, movable cylinder and a fixed piston cooperating to form a chamber, means for sup- 4 plying fluid under pressure to the chamber to effect movement of .'said cylinder on said piston.

and valve means carried by said piston" for controlling 4fluid nowto and ,from said chamber, said valve means beingoperable to release -fiuidifrom the chamber upon failure of said supplying means without the iluid -through said supplying means.

5. An actuator comprising a. motor having a drive shaft, acasin'g into which said shaft extends, amember extending from said casing for movement between a -rst and a second position,

means urging said memberconstantly toward said first position, and means for overcoming said urging means temporarily including a piston, a cylinder in said casing movable on said shaft and on said piston and connected -to said member to move'said member, means closing said casing to' enclose a source of fluid supply, and a gear pump in said piston driven by said motor shaft toforce .fluid from said source between said cylinder and motor shaft to force fluid from said -source between said'cylinder andv piston and valve Vmeans movable by fluid pressure from said pump to direct ,fluid to between said cylinder and piston and upon failure of pump pressure to release fluid from between said cylinder and piston and bypass said pump.

7. An actuator comprising a casing, a motor carried on the casing, a cooperating movable cylinder and a fixed piston within the casing, the casing forming a reservoir, a fluid pump on said piston operable by the motor vto withdraw fluid from the reservoir tomove the cylinder on the piston, and a valve means carried by the piston and movable between a position in which it releases fluid from between said cylinder and piston and a position in which it directs fluid to between said cylinder and piston, said rvalve means being movable from said last mentioned position upon loss of pressurefrom said pump.

8. An actuator comprising a casing, a motor carried on the casing, -a cooperating movable cylinder'andl a fixed' piston within the casing, the

casing forming a reservoir, a fluid pump on'said piston operable by the motor to withdraw fluid and movable between a position in which it rea motor having a' leases fluid from between said cylinder and piston and a position in which it directs fluid to between said cylinder and piston, said valve means being movable from said first mentioned position to said last mentioned position upon creation of pressure by said pump.

9. In a device of the character described, a motor, a stationary member, fluid pump means mounted on saidv member and operable by said motor tov deliver fluid under pressure, a movable element in a cylinder-piston structure, means biasingsaid element in one direction, a passage extending through said member to one side of said movable element .to deliver fluid under pressure from said pump into said cylinder-piston structure to move said element against the bias of said means, and valve means in said passage for bypassing said pump to return uid from said cylinder-piston.

10. In a device ofu the character described, a motor, a stationary member, fluid pump means mounted on said member and operable by said motor to deliver fluid under pressure, a movable element in a cylinder-piston structure,l means biasing said element in one` direction, a passagev extending through said member to one side of said movable element to, deliver fluid under presof lsaid means, and valve means in said passageV operable upon cessation of operation of said motor.

11. In a` device of the character described, a motor, a cylinder and piston structure, a uid pump operable by said motor to deliver fluid under pressure to said cylinder and piston structure to cause movement of an element of said cylinder and piston structure, means opposing said movement, and means operable upon failure of said motor to by-pass said pump to release fluid from between said cylinder and piston.

'12. In combination, a valve including a movable valve member, a spring urging said valve memberl in one direction, a casing ,structure mounted on said valve, a motor carried bythe casing, a fluid pump 'in said casing, a cylinder and piston structo move said valve member vagainst. the urge of said spring, and by-pass means operable upon motor failure to by-pass said pump and release fluid from between the cylinder and piston.`

WIILIAM R. RAY.

lture operable upon fluid delivery from said pump 

